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The Whipping

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Welcome to the Heart of Grace Devotional.  Today I would like for us to think about the price Jesus paid for you and me.  I want to share a story with you today that will help us see more clearly how Jesus took our place. There was a school with a class of students that no teacher had been able to handle. Two or three teachers had been run off from this school in one year by the unruly students. A young man, just out of college, heard about the class and applied to the school.

The principal asked the young man, “Do you know what you are asking for? No one else has been able to handle these students. You are just asking for a terrible beating.” After a few moments of silent prayer, the young man looked at the principal and said, “Sir, with your consent I accept the challenge. Just give me a trial basis.”

The next morning the young man stood before the class. He said to the class, “Young people, I came here today to conduct school. But I realize I can’t do it by myself. I must have your help.” One big boy they called Big Tom, in the back of the room whispered to his buddies, “I won’t need any help. I can lick that little bird all by myself.”

The young teacher told the class that if they were to have school, there would have to be some rules to go by. But he also added that he would allow the students to make up the rules and that he would list them on the blackboard. This was certainly different, the students thought! One young man suggested, “NO STEALING.” Another one shouted “BE ON TIME FOR CLASS.” Pretty soon they had 10 rules listed on the board.

The Teacher then asked the class what the punishment should be for breaking these rules. “Rules are no good unless they are enforced, he said.” Someone in the class suggested that if the rules were broken, they should receive 10 licks with a rod across their back with their coat off. The teacher thought that this was pretty harsh, so he asked the class if they would stand by this punishment. The class agreed.

Everything went along pretty good for two or three days.  Then Big Tom came in one day very upset. He declared that someone had stolen his lunch. After talking with the students, they came to the conclusion that little Timmy had stolen Big Tom’s lunch… Someone had seen little Timmy with Big Tom’s lunch! The teacher called little Timmy up to the front of the room. Little Timmy admitted he had taken Big Tom’s lunch.

So the teacher asked him, “Do you know the punishment?” Little Timmy nodded that he did. “You must remove your coat”, the teacher instructed. The little fellow had come with a great big coat on. Little Timmy said to the teacher, “I am guilty and I am willing to take my punishment, but please don’t make me take off my coat.”

The teacher reminded little Timmy of the rules and punishments and again told him he must remove his coat and take his punishment like a man. The little fellow started to unbutton that old coat. As he did so, the teacher saw he did not have a shirt on under the coat. And even worse, he saw a frail and bony frame hidden beneath that coat. The teacher asked little Timmy why he had come to school without a shirt on. Little Timmy replied, “My daddy’s dead and my mother is very poor, I don’t have but one shirt, and my mother is washing it today. I wore my big brother’s coat so that I could keep warm.”

The young teacher stood and looked at the frail back with the spine protruding against the skin, and his ribs sticking out. He wondered how he could lay a rod on that little back and without even a shirt on. Still, he knew he must enforce the punishment or the children would not obey the rules. So he drew back to strike little Timmy. Just then Big Tom stood up and came down the aisle. He asked, “Is there anything that says that I can’t take little Timmy’s whipping for him?” The teacher thought about it and agreed. With that Big Tom ripped his coat off and stooped and stood over little Timmy at the desk. Hesitatingly the teacher began to lay the rod on that big back. But for some strange reason after only five licks that old rod just broke in half. The young teacher buried his face in his hands and began to sob.  He heard a commotion and looked up to find not even one dry eye in the room. Little Timmy had turned and grabbed Big Tom around the neck apologizing to him for stealing his lunch. Little Timmy begged Big Tom to forgive him. He told Big Tom that he would love him till the day he died for taking his whipping for him.

Aren’t you glad that Jesus took our whipping for us?  That He shed His precious blood on Calvary so that you and I can have eternal life in Glory with Him? We are unworthy of the price He paid for us, but aren’t you glad He loves us that much?

Isaiah 53:3 tells us that:

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

The Love Of God

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Can anyone really comprehend “unconditional” love? It seems the love that parents have for their children is as close to unconditional love as we can get without the help of God’s love in our lives. We continue to love our children through good times and bad, and we don’t stop loving them if they don’t meet the expectations we may have for them. We make a choice to love our children even when we consider them unlovable; our love doesn’t stop when we don’t “feel” love for them. This is similar to God’s love for us, but as we shall see, God’s love transcends the human definition of love to a point that is hard for us to comprehend.

The Bible tells us that “God is Love” (1 John 4:8). But how can we even begin to understand that truth?  There are many passages in the bible that give us God’s definition of love. The most well known verse is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” So one way God defines love is in the act of giving. However, what God gave (or should we say, “who” God gave) was not a mere gift-wrapped present; God sacrificed His only Son so that we, who put our faith in His Son, will not spend eternity separated from Him. This is an amazing love, because we are the ones who choose to be separated from God through our sin, yet it’s God who mends the separation through His intense personal sacrifice, and all we have to do is accept His gift.

Another great verse about God’s love is found in Romans 5:8. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” In this verse and in John 3:16, we find no conditions placed on God’s love for us. God doesn’t say, “as soon as you clean up your act, I’ll love you;” nor does He say, “I’ll sacrifice my Son if you promise to love Me.” In fact, in Romans 5:8, we find just the opposite. God wants us to know that His love is unconditional, so He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us while we were still unlovable sinners. We didn’t have to get clean, and we didn’t have to make any promises to God before we could experience His love. His love for us has always existed, and because of that, He did all the giving and sacrificing long before we were even aware that we needed His love. I know a sister in Christ who makes this statement almost every time she gives her testimony; He loves me Just As I Am. This is such a true statement.

God is Love, and His love is very different from human love. God’s love is unconditional, and it’s not based on feelings or emotions. He doesn’t love us because we’re lovable or because we make Him feel good; He loves us because He is love. He created us to have a loving relationship with Him, and He sacrificed His own Son (who also willingly died for us) to restore that relationship.

God is Love! As such, true love — God’s love – can be summed up in this passage of scripture:  “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”  (1 John 4:7-11)

Responsibility With Grace

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When you are a kid, you can’t stand it. When you are a teenager, you do it just because you are made to. When you are an adult, you do it and forget it when you leave at the end of the day. When you are an older adult, you retire to get away from it all.

What am I talking about? Work of course!

I know why we have to take care of our every day needs with work on your job and at home, but why must we do it with such grace? It seems easy to give no effort and to get by with the minimum. But as we all know, there is a lot of work involved in getting out there, being responsible, and taking care of business, with success in all of it as the goal.

In the midst of all the required responsibilities, I hope that I get you to see a couple thoughts from this. To try and bring my point out more, I will make this into two scenarios:

The first person does all the required work, but with an attitude and resent to everyone around them. They take on the essential “do what I have to” attitude, while having no concept of charity.

The second person realizes that while work is work, that work is not the boss of their life, and they can still enjoy life with love and laughter.

My question is, which person do you feel like you are drawn to? It could be both, or you might be somewhere in between, just disgusted with it all. I could talk more and more about natural responsibility, but that’s not what this ministry is all about. I’m talking about your responsibility to God and the church.

Responsibility is knowing and doing what both God and others are expecting from you:

Ephesians 6:5

“Servants, be obedient to them that are [your] masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ”

In hindsight, we need to remember that we are not here just for ourselves, despite popular opinion telling you alone to grab life by the horns, to live it up for yourself. That’s just not how it works. There are others that need you to be everything that you can be always. We do not have time to be anything otherwise!

Responsibility is realizing the importance of the task assigned to us:

Ephesians 6:6

“Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart”

In all of the things we do, remember who you are serving. I’m not working to serve money; it just happens to be a benefit of my responsibility. I don’t do what I do to earn the popular opinion; I’ll never win the hearts of everyone, being since I cannot make everyone like me all at the same time. I do what I do in my life in service to my God and the people that surround me. I want those around me to succeed, but I want God to be pleased with all that I do. Let God run the rule in your life, and he’ll make those things you need to work around you be successful!

Responsibility is having a clear conscience before God and man:

1 Corinthians 4:5

“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”

Each day we live, we are writing another page to our life book. That which we leave behind is all that will be remembered, if at all. If anything, the things that I want to be remembered for is being a friend of God and a Godly friend to you, showing love and compassion as God did to me. It’s not the objects you leave that make an impact, it’s by your example and the testimony of what impact you made to others.

Of course, I rambled over on this devotional, but remember this: that and who you are responsible for matters, and YOU matter! But God should matter most, and he’ll equip you with the provision you ask for!

God Bless You!!!

Are You Ever Alone?

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I couldn’t even begin to tell you how much that this topic has been on my mind today. It seems to be something that I can’t get away from, so I guess I might as well just let it out.

God has been so good to me, and lately, has just given me an outpouring of knowledge in so many ways, and for that I am so thankful. He always gives me the pieces that I need to address the areas in my life that I always want more improvement in, and for that I give him glory!

At some point in our walk with Christ, whether it has been before you, or it is to come in the future, feeling alone is something that we have all endured, or are all going to walk through. You might be sitting at home and haven’t been out of the house in a very long time, because you feel like no one really cares if you come around anymore. You might come around all the time and still feel like that you have no impact at all to the people that you around. You might feel isolated from your colleagues at work, because even though you are making your best efforts to try and be a social overachiever, it’s all for nothing from what you can see. You might just be the quiet one and don’t know what to say to break out and become the next employee of the month, but you’re just overwhelmed with anxiety. You might even be an active member of a church and even feel like that you are completely by yourself in your efforts. You might just be the new person that just joined your church and haven’t been properly welcomed, and aren’t sure about where to go from here.

There are many scenarios and different kinds of people that I could describe here, but you can pretty much find yourself in the mold some way; either way, feeling alone always feels the same no matter who you are. It’s a sad feeling at first, then other emotions decide to tag along and steal the rest of any happiness that you did have in your life, leaving you to do nothing other than what you were doing in the first place, being alone.

It’s a vicious cycle, and I’ve never been one to sweep any topic of discussion under the rug, so here we go, let’s ask the question: Are You Ever Alone?

Let’s see what Jesus said about being alone:

John 8:12-17

[12] Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
[13] The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.
[14] Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
[15] Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
[16] And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

John 16:31-33

[31] Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?
[32] Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
[33] These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Jesus had absolute confidence in God, as we should. No matter where we are in our lives, even when everyone else is too busy for us, or doesn’t care about us: God is with us. He always hears our prayers and never gets tired of listening. You can pray anytime, and tell God about anything and everything that you are going through. Just like Christ said, we will have tribulation, and at times, we will feel alone and without any help, but we can be encouraged knowing that Jesus overcame the world, and that this life of suffering that we endure sometimes is not the last place that we have to live!

John 14:18-20

[18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
[19] Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
[20] At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

We have comfort in our times of feeling alone; we have someone to give us the peace of mind when everyone else turns a deaf ear. Even when we feel as though we are screaming out inside for no one to hear us, Jesus said that he was within you, therefore he hears exactly what you are going through, and knows your suffering. There is not a moment in your day that he doesn’t see your hard times, and your tears. Hold your head up high, and know that God is your comfort. So the answer to the question is: NO, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!

God Bless You!!!

Where There Is No Vision

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Today our devotional will be from Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish“

First of all, I want us to think about our natural vision. The most vital square inch of our body is the eye. We need good vision to function in our daily lives. Of all the senses that we have, I feel that vision would be the hardest to learn to live without.

Many people learn to live without vision, but are limited in their activities, often times they suffer from depression or discouragement; especially those who once were able to see and then lost their vision.  In your Christian life, do feel limited, or feel like you are not as strong or as true a Christian as you used to be?

To be a strong Christian in Church, we need to have good spiritual vision.  The Bible says that “where there is no vision the people perish” What is spiritual vision?  The ability to see what God want us to see; to have a spiritual discernment of the situations we face, to be able to look beyond the heartaches, the trials, and disappointments of life, to look beyond our own needs and desires to see the needs of others, especially those that are stumbling around in darkness because they have no vision.

Naturally speaking, it takes light to have vision. The light is reflected in the eye to different nerves that send messages to the brain that lets us interpret what we are seeing: the colors, the distance. Spiritually speaking, it takes the Holy Spirit to have a spiritual vision.  Before Christ came the Old Testament speaks of the time when there was no open vision. In other words only those that were priests or prophets were able to see what God wanted and what God could do for them.  When Christ came He opened up the way so that every individual could have this open vision.

The natural vision may vary from person to person, depending on health, age, disease.  Some folks have what we call 20-20 vision, which is considered the best. Others have less because of something that has hindered their vision. Sometimes glasses, contacts, or medications are used to improve the vision. If we had to gauge our spiritual vision, what would it be? 20-20, 20-50, or 0-0? If we recognize that our spiritual vision is dim, what can we do to improve or make it brighter?

If you are having vision problems and you go to the eye doctor, first of all he will check to see if there are any impurities or foreign objects in your eye that could be causing the irritation or problem.  First of all, let’s examine our lives and see if there is something in our heart that refuses to let God’s spirit work in our lives. We all know that only one thing separates us from God and it is SIN. Perhaps it is just the sin of idleness or worry or perhaps it is a little jealousy or an old grudge. Whatever it is, it will block your spiritual vision. To get rid of it we need to sincerely repent and ask God to forgive us. We need to understand that the world is such a dark place and people are going to Hell every day, and they need us to have the best spiritual vision we can to help them see the light.

Once the doctors removed the impurities or foreign objects from our eyes, you may have to have some type of medication or therapy to strengthen the eye muscles.  Spiritually speaking, it works the same with God. Once he has forgiven us, we need to work to increase our vision. Reading His word and praying are the two best medications you can use in your Christian life to gain strength and increase your vision. Exercising your faith when God asks you to do something will also make you a stronger Christian and bring you closer to him. Determine in your heart that you want to be closer to the Lord, to see more of His majesty and to have more of His spirit working in your life.  Obey when He speaks. Be humble! Know it is just His great mercy that lets you exist.  Love the Lord with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Press forward to the mark. Let that vision lead you home.

There are some great examples of God’s people that had visions throughout the bible. One of them was Job. He had a vision of his Redeemer. He knew that no matter what he suffered in this life that he would behold his Redeemer. It didn’t matter if his flesh had rotted or he had no natural eyes to see with, he would still see Him for himself. He had a vision that went beyond the grave. All of God’s children have this same assurance. Many times we just fail to look beyond the daily toil of life to see that our Redeemer is waiting on us and it is just a short time until we will see Him.

Nehemiah’s Vision of the Wall is one that I love to read about Nehemiah and his labor on the wall. First of all he was away from Jerusalem down in another land. Some of his countrymen were passing through and he asked them about the state of Jerusalem. They began to tell him of the sad condition of Jerusalem, how the walls were broken down. Nehemiah’s heart was broken by this news because he loved Jerusalem.  He began to seek God’s face and ask for his help and guidance. God worked and soon Nehemiah was on his way down to Jerusalem with a job to do. Now remember he was just one man, but look at the difference he was able to make because he was obedient to God’s command.

Nehemiah didn’t have a vision of the broken down city but he had a vision of what the city could be once the walls were rebuilt and the people united. Many times we look at our little church and think “well we don’t have too many people” and “we can’t do much” and so we just sit where we are. We need to be more like Nehemiah with a vision of what our church could be and how that lost people could be saved. It took obedience both from Nehemiah and the people to build the wall. It took unity of spirit and it took love. It took perseverance. Nehemiah and the people made up their minds they would rebuild the wall or would die trying. We need to be willing to fight the good fight.  I’m sure they got weary and we can read how that Satan tried to discourage them continually, but their vision was strong. They knew God would deliver as He had promised if they would just do their part.

If you look in Ezekiel 37, you’ll read about another hopeless situation where Ezekiel was placed in the valley of the dry bones and God told him to preach. I’m sure he could have made excuse after excuse why there was no need to preach to this bunch of dry bones. I suppose that is how many pastors feel when they preach to their congregations.  “What good will it do?  They are just hearers and not doers.” But Ezekiel believed God.  It was that simple. He believed that if God asked him to do something there was a good reason for it. He didn’t have to understand every detail but he just believed.

Many times God wants to work miracles in our lives and we have so little faith that we will not believe and He can’t do for us like He would desire to do. Ezekiel just kept preaching and soon those old bones began to move together and flesh began to come upon them.  They began to gain some strength. Then the breath moved into them and they were an exceeding great army. Again, look at what one person accomplished through his obedience to God. Don’t ever think that you don’t matter in God’s work. He needs every member of his Church. He needs us to be obedient. He needs for us to have that spiritual vision that will let us see beyond all of the negatives that Satan presents to us.  If we have good vision, we can see the fiery darts coming and can hold up our shield of faith.

John’s Vision on the Isle of Patmos was surely one of the greatest visions that one of God’s children could ever see. John saw that number that no man could number. He saw those that had had their robes made white with the blood of the Lamb. He saw me and he saw you in that number. There have been times in my life when I too have caught a glimpse of that heavenly number, that heavenly throne, that heavenly place that we are going to. We need to look beyond the present time and look to that great homecoming. This would certainly encourage our hearts when we are distressed. It would cause us to lift up our head and know that our redemption draweth nigh. It would let us praise our wonderful Savior no matter what.

So please, look to the Lord, pray about your vision, that it might be increased that we can see what God wants us to see!

What Do I Do Now?

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It seems like now more than ever that people are dealing with trials that are far bigger than they ever imagined, and along with that bears the sole fact that we have to go through things practically alone. In the days we live in, you can literally see the frustration and toil that these kinds of things have on others, and it makes you wonder what they are going to do to get out of the tough situations.

Everywhere that I turn my eyes, I continually see defeat and discouragement. Everyone that I listen to only seems to speak of how bad things are. Every action that I see taken around me always seems to be only for being able to just get by. All the while I wonder where the joy of people has gone. All the more questioning why things are the way that they are, as well as why things have to be so hard on others.

Ultimately, I find that when you and I are in these difficult places that it is THEN that we need to recognize who it is we put our trust in. Several verses from the bible come to mind when I try to think of things that inspire me about my difficult trials.

Acts 2:36-39 reads:

[36] Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
[37] Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
[38] Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
[39] For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

John 6:28-29 says:

[28] Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
[29] Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

After reading these verses, this tells me to believe in Jesus, for it is the works of God. All the blessings can come and be unlocked in your life, when you start it all with the belief that you can reach them. Then, you won’t find yourself saying, “What do I do now?”, and instead you can say with faith and belief that “I’m doing God’s work, and I know that I am going to make it from what I am going through!” Don’t let the enemy persuade you to be idle and still, nor to let anything hinder you from speaking to all of the things that you want to change. I share with you today, quite possibly my personal favorite bible verse of all time.

Philippians 3:13-15 tells us:

[13] Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
[14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
[15] Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

It is in reading these lines that remind me so often that where I am in God that there is no stopping place. The trials of life do not stop for anyone, or anything. God does not stop moving in your life either. He is in a constant motion, always ahead of you, going out and making your way blessed. If we can just strive and be determined to have the question “What do I do now” change to “What can I do for you, God?”, I can guarantee that you are on your way to the best outcome for your life, for the promises of God are yea and amen.

Take what we have said today, and rise out of your own ashes. Get up out of your discouragement, and take back charge of your life again. Encourage yourself daily, with simply just knowing that the victory is ahead of you. You might not see it, nor feel it close by, but just have the faith to know its coming! I encourage each and every one of you this day! God Bless all of you!

What Lies Ahead

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Today we stand at the threshold of the unknown; before us lies a New Year.  Who knows what lies ahead?  What new experiences or changes will come our way?  We definitely know what has happened in the past year.  This may have been a very difficult year for you.  You may have lost a precious loved one, you may have been very sick; you may have went through family struggles or financial difficulties.

There is no doubt that we live in a depressing time.  The economy of our country is very unstable, and many families have lost their jobs, their homes, and other possessions.  Drugs and alcohol abuse are at an all time high.  Many lives have been lost this past year because of this abuse.  Many children have been neglected and abused as a result of drug and alcohol abuse.  Cancer has become a common illness.  Most every family has had to deal with this illness in one way or another.

Although there is something about the start of a new year that brings hope or optimism, in reality all of the problems that we have faced this past year will be there in the coming year.   The only real hope or change that anyone can depend on is the hope and peace that can be found in God and His son, Jesus Christ.  Everything around us is subject to change, so our trust should not be placed in the hope that life will always be what we want it to be; even that it will remain without change.

The only real constant, the only true security lies only in God. It is entrusting Him with our lives and His will for our lives that will bring peace to our heart.  God, having all knowledge, knows what is best for us because He alone sees the whole picture of our lives. And because He is a God of pure love, His will is to bless our lives with goodness. However, it is then that we must pause and acknowledge that only God knows what is good for us.

In our limited vision, we may feel that God’s will cannot surely be one of good will toward us because we often desire things to be different, and sometimes we cannot see the “good”. But we can rest assured that it is our to our good, even though we may not discern it as such, because He, our heavenly Father, can only act out of love, an enduring and unchanging love for His children. The greatest and most profound manifestation of His love toward us was giving His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sin. Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, took our place and became the atonement for our sin, so that we could have eternal life.

Jesus loved us enough to give His life so that we could have life. It is in accepting Jesus as our Savior that the only true peace and security can be found. Jesus said that any that would come to Him that He would in no wise cast out or not save. He waits without wavering to welcome whosoever will. Come and find peace and unchanging hope in Him today.

The Greatest Birth, The Greatest Gift

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Today we want to read about the greatest event that has ever happened: the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

This is found in Luke 2:1

[1] And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
[2] (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
[3] And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
[4] And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
[5] To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
[6] And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
[7] And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
[8] And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
[9] And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
[10] And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
[11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
[12] And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
[13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
[14] Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
[15] And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
[16] And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
[17] And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
[18] And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
[19] But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
[20] And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Our wish today is that you let Jesus become part of your life, and find the peace that he brought that wonderful night.

The Rest Of The Story

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The thought I have to share with you today is about the rest of the story.

2nd Corinthians 7:5-6

For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without fightings, within fears.

Nevertheless God, comforted those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus.

The world that we live in is this way; so many problems, sickness, turmoil, it is true; these do exist but then you have the word nevertheless, which means despite what has been stated there is more.  Nevertheless is a word similar to the words but, yet, and however, which means there is something else to follow that will supersede or override or is contrary to the first part of the sentence.  In other words, you have the first part of the story, and now you need to hear the second part of the story.

In these verses, we find that although the first part is fear and fightings, we find the rest of the story brings us peace.  The God that comforted those, comforteth me.

We find in an earlier chapter (2nd Corinthians), chapter four, verses 8 and 9 some more verses that have two parts to the story:

“Troubled but not distressed, perplexed but not in despair”

“Persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed”

Another scripture that came to me that demonstrates this so plain is the story of Jarius in Luke 8:41:

Jarius, the ruler of the synagogue, who was probably prosperous, probably active in conducting the services in the synagogue, comes to Jesus because of a great burden he is carrying. His only daughter of 12 years old is at the point of death.  He is desperate, exhausted with worry, sick with concern.

Does this sound familiar? Have you been there? Are you there now?

Jarius heard Jesus was coming.  He left his daughter’s side to reach Jesus. He could have sent someone, but I think because the request was so important to Jarius, he wanted to carry it to Jesus himself.  He had faith that Jesus could do something about his daughter.  He falls down to his knees before Jesus with his request, and Jesus says yes I will come and they start to his house.  But on the way, the woman with the issue of blood reaches out to Jesus and is healed.  Before they can go any further, here comes one saying Jairus’s daughter is dead and not to trouble the Master.  I think this suggestion was not from God, but from the enemy.

How many times has he told you it is too late? No use to pray? No use to ask others to pray? Nothing God can do now.  I believe Jairus is standing close to Jesus when he hears the news.  He was heartbroken.  Perhaps, he started weeping.  Can you just see him sag beneath the load?  I am sure Satan told him “You should have just stayed with her instead of running to Jesus” Perhaps, he wishes he had been there for her when she died.  His faith falters, but like a friend at his side, Jesus quietly speaks, “Fear not, believe only; and she shall be made whole.”  He may have even put his arm around him and held him close while He spoke these words.  No, I am sure He did.

Sometimes what we are going through may be so great that our faith may falter or become weak, but then we hear His voice.  We feel His presence.  He speaks peace and comfort, words of encouragement.

Jesus refuses to leave Jarius alone with his grief, but goes with him.  Jesus enters the house and puts the scorners, sightseers, and mourners aside and keeps those who had a sincere desire in their heart to witness the miracle of her resurrection. And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, “Maid, arise.” And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.  I think Jesus had her eat to prove that she was flesh and blood, and not just a spirit.

So here is how this story could be summed up.  Jarius’s only child died when she was 12 years old, nevertheless, she was brought back to life by Jesus.  My story would read like this.  She was lost, a sinner, full of iniquity, worthless and hopeless; nevertheless, Jesus saved her soul and has given her eternal life and clothed her in righteousness and love.

Here’s a couple more scriptures that demonstrate ‘the rest of the story’.

Nehemiah 4:7-9

But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, and conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.  Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

Luke 5:5-6

And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.  And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

Remember, we need to have faith to obtain the promises that God has given.  Fear not and just believe because there is more to the story.

The 3 Keys of Joseph

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Hello and welcome to the Heart of Grace Broadcast today. It’s a pleasure to have you here, and I hope that what you hear today, you take away and apply in your life, that it be a blessing and help you to grow and be a better you.

Know that no matter where you are right now, that God is with you, and that He is your joy and your strength, no matter how tough things may get, and no matter how far that you feel like that you may get out there.

Today I want to talk about the story of Joseph. If you were a person that grew up in church, I am sure that you had this story drilled into your head at some point in your life. And if you haven’t heard about Joseph at all, and this is the first time for you, let me give you some background.

Jacob, the son of Isaac, married Leah and Rachel and had twelve sons. Jacob favored and loved his eleventh son Joseph the most among his brothers. This made Joseph’s brothers jealous and cruel with him. One night, Joseph dreamt that he and his brothers were binding bundles of corn in field, and that his brothers’ bundles bowed down to his bundle. Another night, he dreamt that the sun, the moon and eleven stars bowed before him. Joseph told his father and his brothers about these dreams. This made the brothers more jealous and full of hate towards their little brother Joseph. The brothers decided to get rid of Joseph.

This is where the start of Joseph’s troubles began, and where I want to start talking about the points that God has given me today.

There are going to be times in your life when you face situations that are beyond your control.

You may face being rejected by others. Joseph was rejected by his brothers from the favor he received from his father Jacob. You might actually be forgotten. Joseph was put into the pit and regarded as dead by his brothers to his father Jacob. You might face temptation. There was a woman that tempted Joseph, to which he resisted. You might face unjust punishment. Joseph had to face the consequences for a crime he didn’t even commit. You could be betrayed by others. Joseph faced betrayal from his brothers. You might be falsely accused. Joseph was falsely accused for the temptation he did not commit.

Joseph faced a lot of these same hard times as well.

He was thrown out into the pit, pretty much left for dead. He was sold out into slavery and tempted, did nothing, and still faced time in jail for something he did not do. Through all of the trials he went through 13 years of bondage. But there were things from the beginning that Joseph possessed, that nothing anyone threw in his way could try and stop him.

First of all, Joseph had a CALLING

He was a dreamer, you see, and could interpret dreams. You have a calling on your life to do something amazing

2 Timothy 1: 8-9 says

[8] Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
[9] Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began

Secondly, Joseph had a PURPOSE

He showed mercy to his brothers, even though they wronged him. He blessed the land in that time with giving bread, despite being forgotten. He was cast into prison, but gave a message of deliverance despite being left behind. He was recognized as a person having the spirit of God.

Finally, Joseph had FAVOR

He went from being considered dead, to a slave, to being in jail, to being a governor over all of the land of Egypt.

Romans 8:26-28 introduces a key passage that applies to what He went through as well as how it applies in our current lives today:

[26] Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
[27] And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
[28] And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

You might feel like today that you are in the pit, or forgotten, or bound up in your own mind, facing unjust things, or dealing with rejection from others, or Lost out in this world.

But I’m here to tell you that you have a way out. You have a way of escape from the way that you are feeling, from the load that you are carrying, and the feelings of rejection that you have inside.

Matthew 11:28-30 says

[28] Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
[29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
[30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Today, as we bring the message to a close, take this opportunity to come unto God, and lay down the heavy burden that you may be feeling in your heart. Don’t fear of what people may think about you, for this is the best decision that you could ever possibly make. I encourage you to be brave and go for this as fast as you can. It’s worth it; I promise you that you will never be the same.

You do not have to walk this life alone. And we at Heart of Grace are with you in this fight; we are praying for you, that you come forward and be those brave people. See, we’re standing with you and we believe together that you can make it, and that with God all things are possible. Through Christ Jesus all things are possible, and with his spirit in our life, all things are possible!

God Bless You!